18: Portrait (seeking votes and reading)

Langdang Mountain.

Towards Yunlu County.

More and more refugees were fleeing Yunlu County.

The appearance of so many blood meals made the Essence Spirits that were originally dormant in the mountains and forests eager to move.

After Chen Yuan ordered a mountain patrol, the Banshan Tiger Talisman in his Mud Pill Palace vibrated continuously.

He flew across mountains, rivers, and all directions, and the more he killed, the more shocked he became.

There were many unknown Essence Spirits hidden in Langdang Mountain.

Just like an iceberg beneath the surface of the water,

He was vigilant in his heart,

He dared not be overconfident.

He urgently needed to improve his strength.

As his Heavenly Cycle circulated, every time he slew a Essence Spirit, he immediately absorbed the Luck he gained to empower himself.

Fighting in all directions, the Dantian furnace within his body roared incessantly, as Yang rose and Yin fell, continuously assailing the vital passes in his throat, the Twelve-Storey Pagoda.

And so,

As he traveled and fought in all directions,

The Aura within his body continuously climbed.

First-Storey.

Third-Storey,

Seventh-Storey,

Tenth-Storey.

As time passed, the sky gradually darkened, and the sun completely sank into Langdang Mountain.

At this moment, there were a few boats on the great river.

They sailed on the eerie river surface.

"Boom!"

In the sky, a bolt of lightning pierced through the firmament with a rumble.

Immediately following, heavy rain poured down.

Blurring the heavens and earth.

Under the lightning's illumination, on these few riverboats, the bow and stern were filled with people.

The electric light flashed across each face,

Numbness, fear, emptiness, vigilance...

All kinds of expressions, too numerous to mention.

At this moment, on these few riverboats, there were some people dressed in tight-fitting clothes, holding sabers and swords, vigilantly watching the dark river surface.

There were still residual bloodstains on their saber blades.

These people had martial Dao Qi in their bodies, and their entire bodies were tense, as if ready to act at any moment.

Yes, they came from Yunlu County and had experienced a brutal struggle.

Outsiders could not possibly comprehend how terrifying the current situation in Yunlu County was.

Overnight, this county town seemed to have been cursed, turning into a Devil's Den.

Some people acted as if they were crazy, tearing and devouring others' flesh and blood alive, then turning into something neither human nor ghost.

Then, they massacred madly.

What was even more terrifying was that they learned a truth: the county magistrate of Yunlu County had actually transformed into a demon.

He ordered the city to be sealed, intending to sacrifice the entire county!

Throughout the night, screams were incessant.

The common people fled in madness.

And these people, from a martial arts academy, possessed martial Dao cultivation, which allowed them to barely carve out a bloody path from this terror.

They protected a portion of the common people and escaped from that Devil's Den.

But now, a demon had set its sights on them, chasing them out from the county town.

Suddenly,

On the continuously rainy river surface, the waves surged.

On the leading boat, a middle-aged man with a tiger-like mouth and wide nose, propping himself with a ring-headed broadsaber, his tiger eyes blazing,

Suddenly raised his saber.

And slashed towards the surging waves on the river surface ahead,

A white streak of Saber Qi suddenly transformed into a thin line, cutting towards the center of the vortex.

At the same time, he roared loudly.

"Be on alert!"

Before the others could react.

On the river surface ahead,

"Bang!"

The river surface exploded, and water splashed everywhere.

A demon appeared, bloated like a giant, with crimson eyes, and black patterns flowing beneath its green skin.

The black patterns beneath the demon's skin were like tiny black snakes, trying to bore out from within.

"Pfft!"

As its skin ruptured, crimson blood spurted out.

Immediately following, small black scales oozed out from within.

As this bizarre scene unfolded, the Aura erupting from this demon became increasingly terrifying.

It was surging towards the Major Achievement of Qi Refining.

It seemed to be undergoing some kind of transformation.

And on the demon's grotesque body, there was still a torn yamen officer's uniform hanging.

The tiger-eyed middle-aged man's face was extremely grim upon seeing the demon appear.

The others gathered around, gripping their sabers and swords tighter, clearly very nervous.

"Academy Master!"

"Master!"

"What should we do?"

The tiger-eyed middle-aged man could only say in a deep voice.

"Zhang Long, Zhao Hu, you two take the others ashore and scatter to escape!

The rest of you, follow me to stop this Devil Head. This guy seems to be undergoing a Breakthrough and is getting stronger and stronger. If we don't kill him now, we'll all die!"

The tiger-eyed middle-aged man said with a grim expression.

As his words fell,

He suddenly leaped up, transforming into a cannonball, raising his saber and charging towards the demon.

Upon seeing this, the other Disciples also raised their sabers and swords and charged forward.

However, that demon, which still clearly retained Human Race features, merely watched them charge with cold, chilling eyes, and then grinned hideously.

Then its figure moved.

Transforming into an afterimage.

The next second.

A fist pierced through the chest of one of the Bone Tempering Realm Disciples.

Then it was pulled out.

A bright red heart was still beating.

With a squeeze, the heart exploded with a boom.

The Disciple's corpse fell, revealing the demon grinning sinisterly behind him.

"Mo Yun!"

The tiger-eyed middle-aged man watched his Disciple die tragically, roaring in fury as he slashed wildly.

"Clang!"

The demon's expression did not change as it met the blow with its fist.

A layer of fine scales caused the Saber Qi to instantly dissipate.

Then, the demon suddenly closed in, its hands suddenly gripping the tiger-eyed middle-aged man's other arm.

Then, it forcibly tore it off.

The tiger-eyed middle-aged man groaned miserably.

In a critical moment, he infused surging True Qi, gritted his teeth, and roared fiercely, slashing his saber horizontally at the demon's head.

But the demon merely gave a cunning smile, its body blurring.

It reappeared several feet away in a flash.

Then, it swung its butcher's knife at the panic-stricken Disciples.

Screams of agony arose.

And as their Master, the tiger-eyed middle-aged man's eyes were bloodshot.

He wanted to stop it.

The wound on his severed arm was pulled, causing his body to falter.

He quickly sealed the wound to stop the bleeding, and at this moment,

From his torn clothes, a rolled paper fell out.

The middle-aged man couldn't bother with these things at the moment, and he roared as he charged forward, intending to avenge his Disciples.

At this point, the martial arts academy Disciples had already suffered heavy casualties.

None of them were a match for this demon.

At this moment, the demon bit off a Disciple's neck, chewing the flesh and blood at the corner of its mouth, then stared at the group of lambs waiting to be slaughtered with increasingly crimson pupils, cruelly mocking them.

"None of you will escape today!"

As its words fell, it transformed into a demonic shadow, preparing to completely eliminate the martial arts academy Master.

Just then,

A white light, like a thunderbolt from the Nine Heavens.

Cut through the night, piercing the darkness of the river surface!

"Ding!"

In a flash of lightning,

Everyone's vision blurred,

Then, the mast trembled.

The demon was actually impaled onto the ship's mast.

Everyone was greatly alarmed.

Then, they looked into the darkness, as a black-awning boat cut through the waves.

At the bow of the boat, a figure in green stood.

Then, the person's figure swayed, appearing on the riverboat.

He slashed at the impaled demon.

The Sword Qi directly shredded the demon's head into a mess.

Everyone stared blankly at the figure in green.

And gasped in a cold breath.

At this moment, the wind blew, and the rolled paper that had fallen onto the deck unfurled.

Revealing a portrait of a man.

"Where did this portrait come from?"

The person let out a soft exclamation.

(PS: The gears of fate begin to turn... Please vote, thank you everyone.)